Interstate 880 North in Oakland, California | The Nimitz Freeway

[@GreatAussieDrives]

Great stuff. Loved the approach up to the Oakland skyline - it's really quite impressive especially considering how close it is to SF!

[@mikesahle1193]

Thank you 🙏 for sharing I am a night driver ☝️🛻it looks great 👍 in daylight ☝️👏👏👏👋☮️

[@grizzfan08]

The old Cypress Fwy was double-decker, and the top deck collapsed onto the lower deck during Loma Prieta, and was where a good majority of the fatalities occurred. The only other time that that happened was during the Kobe, Japan earthquake in the 1990s.

[@CrystalClearWith8BE]

I-880 CA is by far the busiest freeway along the East Bay and is one of the busiest freeways in Alameda County other than I-580 CA, even for the truckers.

[@travist.7279]

I-238 and the section of I-880 you showed, were once part of U.S. 50. U.S. 50 ran from SF to Stockton, and then north to Sacramento. There was no I-580. I-880 and the piece of I-580 west/north of the MacArthur Maze, used to be S.R. 17---which ran from San Rafael to Santa Cruz.

[@21alexx77]

Wow

[@LeoHao805]

Yup, US-50’s western terminus is now at I-80 near Sacramento, though it used to be in the place of I-580. Adding to this, when navigating through the MacArthur Maze in the I-80 W / I-580 E direction, The 580 is signed towards (yes, I did memorize this) Downtown Oakland, Hayward, and Stockton. The “Stockton” portion of the control city signage is the remnant of where the old US-50 alignment used to go. Also, I don’t want to be the “erm actually 🤓” person, but even after I-880 was designated, CA-17 still exists, although it was cut short. CA-17 still goes down to CA-1 in Santa Cruz, but it now terminates at the junction with I-280 in San Jose. Whatever is going on north of the 280 interchange is now designated as I-880.

[@pattiwhite9575]

This is area were I was born 1957 on Naval base. We had a red & white house in El Sobrante.

[@digitaljon1109]

Do you prefer driving in rural areas, away from people? Or in very busy areas like this?

[@InterstateKyle]

I'll take a rural drive over a busy urban freeway anyday.

[@cptlexluthor7511]

What kind of you drive and also what’s it like driving in California expressways

[@BNTheRoadFanatic]

There's still one thing that confuses me about I-238, not even the not in line with the interstate numbering system thing. Why is it designated as north south when it clearly goes east west?

[@compdude100]

It's an extension of CA Route 238, which mostly runs north-south.

[@theautomotivegabe]

They could rename this interstate interstate 180 and do something about CA-180 making it Ca-238

[@travist.7279]

"480" is now available, since SF's Embarcadero Freeway was torn down.

[@theautomotivegabe]

@@travist.7279 good point, was the Embarcadero freeway I-480 or something? Why was it torn down? Is it proposed or something?

[@gosnooky]

They should just revert it back to a state route like it was before. There is really no difference in urban California - a freeway is a freeway. Doubtful Caltrans will revert it though, especially since it was already changed once. No, we're stuck with this oddball for the foreseeable future, I'm afraid.

[@travist.7279]

@@theautomotivegabe The Embarcadero freeway was constructed in the late 50's. The original plan would extend 4 miles, to connect the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge. This was to be Interstate 480. I -280 was originally planned to connect the Golden Gate to Daly City, along the west side of SF. The present route of I-280 through SF, was to be S.R. 82. Complicated? This was all part of a planned network of freeways in SF. The plan was scrapped in the 60's, due to supposed public opposition. In the end, only a little over a mile of I-480 was ever built. It was a double-deck structure, and butt-ugly. Because it was never completed, the numbering was demoted to S.R. 480. Though no longer an interstate, California's antiquated highway database system kept the number 480 tied-up. The freeway continued with this designation until 1989, when the earthquake damaged the double-deck structure beyond repair. The entire freeway was demolished in '91---leaving the number, 480 available.

[@travist.7279]

@@gosnooky It has something to do with federal funding. The state gets more if a freeway is designated as an "Interstate". I-238 got its number because it was originally part of S.R. 238. As for numbering, why else would Cali decide (in 1984) to renumber much of S.R. 17, as I-880? It was totally unnecessary, as that section was already freeway (and had been for decades). Same down in L.A., with S.R. 11 becoming I-110, and S.R. 7 becoming I-710. Eventually, the federal government got wise to this scam, and imposed strict standards on what could be classified as an "Interstate". However, all of those earlier changes got grandfathered-in. So, we are stuck with those absurd numbers for now, even though some of those renumbered freeways are incredibly old, and make a joke of the Interstate system.

[@dontgetlost4078]

Why is I-880 hated? Disregarding the usual reasons urban freeways are disliked (that sketchy neighborhood has likely taken a large hit by this freeway), what made this one more hated than the other Bay Area freeways?

[@gosnooky]

Truck traffic, and the industrial areas it travels through. Quite a contrast to the 580 which is quite scenic going through hilly areas.